Final Passage of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
Friday, November 19, 1999
106th Congress, 1st Session
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, once again the Senate is considering a massive appropriations bill in the final hours of a session of Congress. This one spends more than $385 billion, contains legislation which rightly belongs in five separate appropriations bills, and other important legislation which doesn't belong in an appropriations bill at all. This is a process which reflects poorly on the Congress both because it represents a failure to get the nation's work done on time, and because the final rush precludes the kind of careful consideration and debate which wise decisionmaking demands. The combination of its enormous size and the swiftness with which it was thrown together makes certain that Senators will only after the fact learn full details about many provisions which have been added.

Democrats have won critical victories in this bill providing funds for new teachers to reduce class size in our schools, a first installment toward 50,000 new police officers by 2005, the necessary funding to implement the Wye River peace agreement and more than $514 million for the Lands Legacy Initiative to preserve and safeguard our most precious public lands, as well as funds for after-school programs to benefit 675,000 students. Other needed legislation is included to reverse some of the unintended consequences of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act on hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities and legislation to benefit consumers by increasing competition between cable and satellite companies and permitting satellite companies to provide local network signals in local markets. However, like last year, even as I acknowledge some important budget victories, I do not support this process and, on balance, cannot vote for this bill.